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  4. Witness says Kyle Rittenhouse was 'nervous' and 'didn't know what was going on' in Kenosha, while one of the men he killed was acting 'erratic'

Witness says Kyle Rittenhouse was 'nervous' and 'didn't know what was going on' in Kenosha, while one of the men he killed was acting 'erratic'

Michelle Mark   

Witness says Kyle Rittenhouse was 'nervous' and 'didn't know what was going on' in Kenosha, while one of the men he killed was acting 'erratic'
  • A witness who livestreamed unrest in Kenosha testified at Kyle Rittenhouse's homicide trial that the teen looked "nervous" on August 25, 2020.
  • The witness also testified that Joseph Rosenhaum, one of the three men Rittenhouse shot that night, was acting "erratic."

A witness who live-streamed civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020 told a jury that Kyle Rittenhouse appeared "nervous" on the night he shot three protesters, while one of the men Rittenhouse shot appeared "erratic."

Koerri Washington, a Kenosha resident who filmed Rittenhouse running past him carrying a fire extinguisher, described the then-17-year-old as an "interesting figure" during his testimony on Wednesday.

Rittenhouse is on trial for fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, as well as injuring Gaige Grosskreutz, amid protests stemming from the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty, and he maintains that he feared for his life and only shot the men because they were chasing him.

Wwearing a navy suit and a yellow- and blue-striped tie, Rittenhouse could be seen taking notes and watching intently throughout Wednesday's proceedings.

Washington testified Wednesday that Rittenhouse had stood out to him, but the livestreamer emphasized that it was not in a "malicious" way. He also said he didn't suspect Rittenhouse "was going to go around and mow a bunch of people down."

Rather, Washington said Rittenhouse captured his attention mainly because he looked very young, was chain-smoking, and was inexplicably wearing purple medical gloves.

"This is just, I suppose, my opinion: He just seems like he was young and like he didn't know what was going on," Washington said. "He seemed nervous in the situation. But, I mean, I suppose a lot of people were nervous. It was not a slight at him - it was just a thing I noticed."

Washington also agreed when one of Rittenhouse's defense attorneys asked whether Rosenbaum had been behaving erratically.

Rittenhouse's lead defense lawyer, Mark Richards, argued in his opening statement on Tuesday that Rosenbaum had been the aggressor whose actions ignited the deadly confrontations. Richards said Rosenbaum had chased Rittenhouse into the parking lot of a car dealership, and lunged for the teenager's AR-15, therefore posing a threat to Rittenhouse's life.

Rosenbaum had arrived at the protests that night after being released from a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. He was seen in various videos daring armed civilians to shoot him, helping push a flaming dumpster, and at one point swinging what appeared to be a chain.

Upon cross-examination from prosecutors, Washington said his perception of Rosenbaum's "erratic" behavior mainly came from the videos he watched, rather than in-person observation.

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